Closing in on 100 Years

The Minnesota FFA 96^th annual convention just wrapped up, but preparations are already underway for the group’s 100th anniversary. According to former Minnesota FFA Executive Secretary Jim Ertl, a history of the organization is being compiled. Minnesota FFA had 277 FFA chapters in 1977. Ertl said that it dropped to 150 chapters during the farm crisis in the mid-1980s. “The schools started consolidating,” said Ertl. “Farm families said to the kids, we don’t want you to come back to the farm so the kids left the farm. That’s where we lost eight teachers, too.” There’s been a rebuilding process and there are now nearly 220 FFA chapters statewide. Minnesota FFA is moving to a model where every student taking an ag class will be enrolled in the FFA. Minnesota has over 15,000 members today, but that is expected to grow to 40,000 with the change.